Despite outscoring the Pirates in the final two quarters of the game, the Salida Spartans were unable to stop Pagosa last Friday in Salida, sending the Pirates home with a one-point, 48-47 victory.

No matter the spread in the Salida game, Coach Jim Shaffer was pleased, saying, “It was a good road win for us, a really hard environment, against a good basketball team.”

The Pirates looked strong, taking the court in Salida. Coming off a 55-43 victory against the Spartans on Dec. 19 in Pagosa, the Pirates were primed to repeat their win from several weeks back. Leading 17-11 in the first period and leading again in the second quarter with a 31-24 edge, the Pirates looked poised to echo their previous win over the Spartans.

Unfortunately, the Pirates lost their momentum midway through the third quarter and well into the fourth quarter. Allowing a 16-2 run by Salida for nearly eight minutes across the final two quarters, the Pirates gave the Spartans a glimpse of hope as the two teams fought to the final buzzer. With Pagosa outscored 11-6 in the third quarter, the Pirates barely managed to hold on. Outscored again in the fourth quarter, 12-11, the Pirates squeaked by with the narrow 48-47 victory.

“We just didn’t execute well late in the third and early in the fourth,” Shaffer said.

Tyson Ross led the team in scoring with 15 points, hitting three field goals from the three-point line. Jordan Caler followed up with 12 points while Taylor Shaffer finished with seven points and led the team with six assists. Austin Jones led the team with seven rebounds.

On Saturday, at 7 p.m., the Pirates go to 0-11 Monte Vista for Pagosa’s first Intermountain League match-up. On Tuesday, Monte Vista fell 99-19 to Salida.

Next Tuesday, the Pirates host Cortez for their only meeting this season. jim@pagosasun.com